


Giving Chase

by JantoJones



Series: Stand-alone  (The 1st 100) [94]
Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-18 04:33:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10609356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JantoJones/pseuds/JantoJones
Summary: A chase through the snow.





	

The two figures ran in silence through the snow-laden landscape; both intent on capturing their quarry before he got too far. After almost twenty-five minutes they came to a stop, desperately trying to draw breath into their burning lungs. Both were finding the ice difficult to run on and were tiring much more quickly than they would, had it not been the dead of winter. 

“We’ve lost him already!” exclaimed Lester Harmon, gesturing out into the snow covered woodland; once he had recovered enough.

“I suppose he is one of the best U.N.C.L.E. has to offer,” replied Peggy Weaver, gasping hard. “It’s hardly surprising.”

“That won’t save our skins,” Harmon countered. “If we don’t get him, or the package he has, it’ll be our fault regardless of how good he is.”

“What do you think we should do?”

Harmon stared off into the white landscape and thought. The prospect of not recovering the package didn’t bear thinking about. Their immediate futures could both depended on securing the item. If they could capture the man who had it, so much the better, but that was a secondary consideration.

“Kuryakin is Russian and is no doubt used to this kind of terrain. I reckon he will have gone into the trees.”

“Okay, Harmon, You go left and I’ll go right.”

The two of them broke into a run once again but, just before they split off into the woods, Illya reappeared on the road.

“I’ll follow him,” Harmon called, to Weaver. “You go into the woods. He may have dumped the package.”

Peggy made her way to where Kuryakin had emerged, hoping to back trace his footprints. However, after only five minutes, his trail had completely disappeared. She now found herself with a quandary. Should she continue searching for the package, without knowing what Kuryakin’s route had been, or should she follow Harmon?

Her dilemma was solved for her when a figure dropped from tree and landed beside her.

“Sorry, my dear,” Napoleon Solo apologised smoothly. “But you’ve been caught.”

Sighing, Peggy handed over her weapon.

………………………………………………………………………

Down the road, Harmon was gaining on Kuryakin, though it seemed to him that the Russian wasn’t exactly running as fast as he could. It was almost as if he were taunting him. Pulling out his gun, he shouted for the man to stop, and warned that he would shoot if he didn’t.

Illya obeyed immediately and stood motionless until Harmon got closer. Without any warning whatsoever, he span around and shot his pursuer with a dart.

………………………………………………………………………………… 

 

Harmon groaned as he opened his eyes. The bright light above caused his head to pound.

“We failed,” he lamented.

“You did,” Solo agreed. “But don’t beat yourselves up about it.”

The younger man slowly sat up and found Peggy looking at him with a look of resignation.

“You still have a long way to go,” Illya told them. “But I would say your training is progressing well.”

“Agreed,” added Jules Cutter from the corner of the room. “You both got caught, but given how much this supposed ‘top team’ get captured, you’re in good company.”

He glared at Solo and Kuryakin, defying them to deny the fact.

“You realised that Kuryakin may have dropped the package to retrieve later,” Cutter continued. “But, to be fair, he had no chance of tracking his movements.”

“How did your footprints disappear?” Peggy asked Illya. She’d heard he could move stealthily, but everyone left tracks in the snow.

“I traversed trough the canopy,” he explained. “It is not easy when the branches are slippery, but you must use every weapon in your arsenal.”

“As for you, Harmon,” Cutter went on. “You really shouldn’t have let Kuryakin get the drop on you.”

“I shouldn’t have warned him,” Harmon realised. “I should have just darted him.”

“Exactly! Okay, you can both go and get some dinner.”

Once the two trainees had left, Solo asked Cutter for his thoughts.

“There’s still a lot for them to learn and, believe me they’ll learn it, but they’re both smart. I reckon it won’t be long before they’re better than the two of you.”

The agents ignored the barb, knowing it was just Cutter’s way. It was time for them to get back to New York; after Illya had had dinner, of course.


End file.
